The Anglo-Français de Petite Vénerie is a scenthound that was developed to hunt rabbit, pheasant, and quail. Although primarily used as a pack hound, they are sometimes used individually in the type of hunting known as “Chasse-à-Tir”, that is they circle the game and chase it back to the waiting hunter. This breed is little seen outside of France and is almost exclusively kept by hunters.

The name Anglo-Français de Moyen Vénerie is sometimes seen in North America as a separate breed, however it appears this title was created due to confusion with the breed’s name. The “Petite” in their name does not refer to the size of the dogs, but rather to the type of prey they are used to hunt and since they are medium sized dogs some registries replaced “Petite” with “Moyen”.

History of the Anglo-Français de Petite Vénerie

Origin

History

Related Breeds

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France

​1900s

The Anglo-Français de Petite Vénerie was created by crossing French hounds with Harriers imported from England. It is believed their ancestors include Poitevin, Porcelain, Petit Bleu de Gascogne, and the Petit Gascon-Saintongeois. These dogs were once known by the region in where they were bred or as “Bâtards du haut-poitou”, meaning “bastard breeds”. In the mid-1900s these dogs were combined in an effort to create more uniformed breeding and given their current titles. Today most kennel clubs recognize the three color varieties (Blanc et Noir, Blanc et Orange, and Tricolore) as a single breed, unlike their cousins the Grand Anglo-Français and Chien Français where each color is a separate breed.